Lesson Transcript

M: Hello and welcome to German Survival Phrases brought to you by germanpod101.com, this course is designed to equip you with the language skills and knowledge to enable you to get the most out of your visit to Germany. You will be surprised at how far a little German will go. Now before we jump in, remember to stop by germanpod101.com and there you will find the accompanying PDF and additional info in the post. If you stop by, be sure to leave us a comment.

F: German Survival Phrases. Lesson 57, I Like It. I Don’t Like It.

M: In today’s lesson, we will introduce you to a phrase you will use countless times on your journey. For everyone out there who likes German food, this is the word you want to know so that you keep getting more of it. So let us go over I like it. In German, I like it is [Mir gefällt es] Let’s break it down by syllable [Mir gefällt es] Now let’s hear it once again [Mir gefällt es] The first word [Mir] means me and it’s a reflexive pronoun. Let’s hear it once again [Mir] This is followed by [gefällt] which in English is pleases. It’s third singular person form of the verb [gefallen] to please. Let’s break down this word by syllable [gefällt] and now let’s see it once again [gefällt] Finally we have [es] it [es] So to recap here, we have [Mir gefällt es] Literally this means me pleases it but it is translated as I like it. Now imagine you are in a nice restaurant and you have ordered a [Wiener Schnitzel] a Vienna Cutlet. Though the recipe is borrowed from Austria, it now is an entrenched German dish. If you want to say that you really like it, then you can use the following phrase. In German, I really like it is [Mir gefällt es sehr] Let’s break it down by syllable [Mir gefällt es sehr] Now let’s hear it once again [Mir gefällt es sehr] This phrase is essentially the same. There is just one additional word added. That word is [sehr] This word is an adverb and it literally means really. Let’s break it down by syllable [sehr] So the literal meaning of the entire phrase would be, me pleases it really and it’s translated as I really like it. In German, to express we really, really like something, we also use the superlative of [sehr] which is [am besten] In English, this means best. Let’s break down this word and hear it one more time [am besten] So we say [Mir gefällt es am besten] which in English could be translated as I like it best. Let’s break it down by syllable and hear it one more time [Mir gefällt es am besten] In the event that you don’t like something, you will use the phrase, I don’t like it which in German is [Ich mag es nicht] Let’s break it down by syllable [Ich mag es nicht] Now let’s hear it once again [Ich mag es nicht] The first word [Ich] means I. Let’s hear it one more time [ich] Then we have [mag] like. First singular person form of the verb [mögen] to like. Let’s break down this word and hear it once again [mag] This is followed by [es which in English is it. And lastly we have [nicht] not. [nicht] So altogether we have [Ich mag es nicht] which literally means I like it not and it’s translated as I don’t like it. While the above mentioned phrase is more common, you can also use the phrase [Mir gefällt es nicht] to express that you don’t like something. This phrase looks the same as the one we just covered at the beginning of this lesson I like it [Mir gefällt es] So to pull out [0:04:27] the negative form, you just need to add at the end of the phrase [nicht] not and you will have [Mir gefällt es nicht] In Germany, don’t be shy to tell people that you don’t like certain dishes. Germans are not known for being very sensitive and in this case, it’s not different. If you go out with Germans to a restaurant or bar and they asked you if you like the dish or the cocktail, just be honest and tell them what you honestly think about it. The situation might be different though if they invite you over to their home for dinner. If they cook a meal that you don’t like, be polite and try some bites. If they ask you for your appraisal, you can tell them [Es ist interessant] which in English is, it’s interesting. This way, you neither tell them that you like it nor dislike it.

Okay to close our today’s lesson, we would like you to practice what you’ve just learned. I will provide you with the English equivalent of the phrase and you are responsible for shouting it out aloud. You have a few seconds before I give you the answer. So [Viel Glück] which means good luck in German.

I like it [Ich gefällt es] I really like it [Mir gefällt es sehr] I like it best [Mir gefällt es am besten] I don’t like it [Ich mag es nicht] I don’t like it, formal version [Mir gefällt es nicht] It’s interesting [Es ist interessant]

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